


Spousal Privileges

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: Home [10]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-19
Updated: 2015-04-19
Packaged: 2018-03-24 16:44:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3775954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>While that had probably been a little too close to a Freudian slip for Leonard's peace of mind, there was no one around who knew enough to call him on it.</em>
</p><p>McCoy accidentally calls Jim the "h" word.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spousal Privileges

Leonard had never been a big fan of social functions. He could manage them when he had to – and when they had the word "diplomatic" slapped on the front end, he usually had to – but it was a strain having to be polite to so many people all at once. Particularly when most of them were worse drunks than he was, or someone thought Jim's flirting was something more serious than an unconscious habit.

Or, in this case, when he had his very own stalker.

"The research opportunities would be unparalleled." Leonard winced when he heard the matronly Trill woman come up behind him, the same one who had been following him around the damn event for the last 20 minutes. Dr. Voren was one of their leading research scientists – she'd admitted after the surgery that the position was seen as quite an accomplishment for someone who hadn't been joined – and up until she'd started her sales pitch he'd found her interesting company. "You would have access to secrets most of the galaxy has never even heard of!"

These people spoke Standard, damn it. How many more ways was he going to have to tell her no? Gritting his teeth, Leonard made himself take a deep breath before turning around. "Like I told you, Doctor, I'm very flattered by the offer, but there is no way I'll be able to stay here long term. My ship is leaving in the morning."

Her eyes went big, just like Pam's used to do when she wanted something. Her hair had been swept back away from her face, highlighting the spots down the sides of her face and along her neck. "You're being wasted with the Federation! You knew nothing about symbionts, and yet you saved both it and the host as if you'd studied our needs all your life. Your talent is needed here!"

Leonard sighed. No one in the Federation had a clue that some Trills joined with symbiotic organisms that retained the memories of the previous carriers – he'd have to write up a report, if only so there'd be some groundwork for the next Federation doc who had to treat a Trill – and he was pretty sure they hadn't planned on telling anyone.

But when he'd been on a carefully regulated tour of the nearest medical facility that had been interrupted by a dozen comms going off and everyone rushing around like the building was on fire, he'd been a doctor too long not to know exactly what that meant. He wouldn't have gotten involved even then – he was surrounded by medical professionals – but the host's basal ganglia had started shutting down and the technique he'd developed hadn't made it out this far.

It was only later that he found out that, given the way the symbionts and the host are joined, he'd also saved six lifetimes  worth of memories. They'd been thrilled by that almost more than the woman he'd saved, and had offered to throw open their doors and give him access to everything. All he needed to do was stay.

In another life, it might have been tempting. But in another life, he wouldn't have been here at all.

He'd been silent too long, a moment that she saw as an opening. "Is it the money? Did we not offer you enough?" She moved closer. "I will speak to the administration. I'm certain we can get them to recompense you for your talents more—"

Leonard shook his head, cutting her off. "It's not the money." He thought of his younger self, who'd have considered a nice little research position somewhere where he could still work with patients to be the pinnacle of his professional career. "I'll talk to the captain, see if we can delay our departure long enough for me to teach some of your doctors the procedure I used."

He scanned the room, hoping to find someone who could save him. But Spock, Scotty and Chekov were swooning over the Trill Science Ministry – the same people he'd been talking to before his little stalker problem, damn it – while Jim was talking to what looked like three different government officials at once. He was on his own.

He turned back to her. "I can even stay in contact with you and some of your other doctors if you'd like. But I'm not staying."

" _Why_?" She threw her hands up in the air, the look on her face desperate to understand. "I admire your loyalty to your shipmates, but surely they would understand."

And see, this was where he kept running into trouble. Because this was supposed to stay professional, and apparently the Trills saw romance as a "weakness of the young."  It wouldn't be good if they saw the captain of the Federation delegation – a.k.a. Jim – as weak. And there'd be no hope of the dignitaries Jim was talking to not finding out, because he had no doubt that Dr. Voren would immediately head over and start the sales pitch. If she wasn't bothering with subtlety now, why would she with him?

Dr. Voren, once again, took advantage of the silence. When Leonard took a step back, she took a step forward. "I'm certain you have friends on your ship, but I assure you that you would develop many deep relationships among your colleagues here as well." There was no hint of flirting, just an intense desire to sell. "If you are worried about what your captain would say, let me speak to him and I can—"

"No." He caught her arms. He wasn't about to have suffered through all this just for her to make things harder for Jim anyway. There was no more room to dance around this. "Dr. Voren, listen to me. I am not now, nor will I ever be leaving the Enterprise, at least not while my husband is on board. And believe me, nothing you do or say is gonna get him off that ship."

It was only when the last word had left Leonard's mouth that he realized what he'd said, and he winced inwardly. While that had probably been a little too close to a Freudian slip for his peace of mind, there was no one around who knew enough to call him on it.

Dr. Voren stared at him a moment, then her shoulders sagged. "I thought a man of your intelligence would be beyond that," she said quietly.

He let go of her, relieved by how disappointed she looked. Clearly, the whole "being in love" thing was more of a check in the negative category than he thought. This might be solved a lot more easily than he'd expected.  "Yeah, well, there's an old Earth saying – love makes you stupid."

She tilted her head, looking at him with a curios expression. "And yet you do not want to be away from the thing that you admit lowers your intelligence?"

Leonard smiled a little. "Actually, the fact that you don't want to go anywhere is usually the first sign of just how much trouble you're in."

After another moment, she gave him a small nod and turned to walk away. Leonard watched her go, his own shoulders sagging in relief, then turned to head in the opposite direction....

And saw Jim standing only a few feet away, giving him an amused look.

"Finally," Leonard grumbled, moving towards him. "A little late to be riding to the rescue, _Captain_."

Jim's grin widened as he handed Leonard the glass of alcohol he'd been holding. "Sorry, _Doctor_ , but it's not easy to get anyone of any species to stop talking about their grandchildren." He shifted closer as Leonard drank, moving so that their upper arms were pressed together. "Looks like you saved yourself, though."

"Took me long enough." No one was looking their way for a moment, so Leonard let himself lean against Jim a little. "Still not sure why she was trying so hard. Planet's got plenty of good doctors already."

Jim's expression softened. "There's good, and then there's Dr. Leonard McCoy good. No comparison." Then he nudged him in the arm, expression taking on a mischievous edge again.  "Of course, as your husband, I might be a little bit prejudiced."

Leonard closed his eyes with a groan. "I was sort of hoping you hadn't heard that."

"Why? A man's supposed to know when he's married the love of his life." Then the humor melted out of his voice, leaving only an odd fragility. "I thought you didn't want to get remarried."

Leonard could distantly remember a few drunken rants about that very thing, back at the Academy. "I thought I didn't, either." His voice was soft as he glanced over at Jim. "I've been known to be wrong, occasionally."

Slowly, Jim smiled at him, his eyes full of all the warmth a man might ever need. "That's very good to know."

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my weekly posts and original short fiction on my [blog](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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